In Close Proximity
by shiftgiggles
Summary: When you're a raven-haired member of Fairy Tail, sometimes you find yourself drawn to collecting blue-haired girls. Images and characters belong to Hiro Mashima. A One-shot.


Green and pink blossoms adorn the once bare branches on the cherry trees that lined the streets to the guild. This was Lucy's favorite time of the year and it is also the rainiest time of the year.

She lingered under the trees a little longer than normal, loving how the blossom seemed to tint the world in a soft, rosey hue. Barely even noticing that the rain that was prickling at her skin was picking up. Too busy focusing on how to put her current thoughts into the new chapter that she would pen later tonight. Lucy hastened her steps, it was time to get into the guild anyway.

After entering the hall, Lucy grabbed a seat near the cozy fireplace next to her best friend and fellow bookworm, Levy. Judging from the commotion coming from the basement, her team was probably wreaking havoc with their destructive antics again.

'This is nice.' She relished these days when her team left her alone and she can read at peace. The gentle hum of the guild and her best friend to keep her company.

Peace, tranquility, a good book, and some tea. She was enjoying it. All five minutes of it, because from the corner of her eye, she noticed Levy slam her new horror novel shut, her eyes darting quickly around the room.

"What's wrong, Levy-Chan?" slightly alarmed as she blew small circles in her piping hot tea. Normally, nothing tore Levy's attention from her precious, precious books. It must be serious.

"It's quiet." Levy furrowed her brows.

"HUH?" Lucy was still confused.

"Wait for it, Lu. 3, 2, 1..."

"LOVE RIVAL!" Juvia roared from the second floor as if on cue. Quickly, Levy grabbed Lucy's hand and dragged her under the bar. Lucy noticed that the once gentle rain shower outside was intensifying into a micro-burst at Juvia's sudden rage. Both girls started heading towards the basement.

As stealthily as possible, the girls ran down the stairs and hid under the table where Gajeel, Cana, and Erza sat entertaining themselves.

"Erza, hide us! Juvia is looking for me. Tell her I'm not here."

"LOVE RIVAL!" Juvia screeched, "JUVIA KNOWS THAT YOU ARE AVOIDING HER!"

"You are so in trouble Lu-chan," Levy giggled. "What did you do this time?"

Lucy glared at her best friend, "Levy, shut up! I didn't do anything and you aren't helping."

Cana reached under the table and tickled Levy's rib cage, causing her to shriek and gain Juvia's attention. "Lucy's right here, girlie!" she called.

"LOVE RIVAL!" Juvia stomped over and shoved a silk handkerchief under Lucy's nose. "Juvia wants to know why you were at Gray-sama's home yesterday."

Lucy crawled from underneath the table and sat on her haunches. She was baffled and wondered what she did to trigger Juvia's sudden wrath. She'll have to choose her words carefully. "Juvia," she said slowly, "I just got home from a mission with the girls yesterday."

"This is true, Juvia," said Erza, taking a bite of her strawberry cake. "We got back late last night and stayed over at Lucy's place."

Lucy's and Erza's words did nothing to quell the sobbing girl, causing Gray and Natsu to stop their game of pool to walk over.

"What's with all the crying?" Gray asked.

Juvia turned around and thrust the offending garment in his face. "Juvia wants you to explain why this was in your underwear drawer."

Gray looked at the handkerchief and he stared at it for a few seconds trying to recollect where he had seen that piece of cloth. Suddenly, he seemed to remember and his eyes flickered in recognition. "Uh, I don't remember where that's from, Juvia, that's been in there forever."

Juvia was dubious of his explanation, but accepted it nonetheless. The group let out a collective sigh of relief. Crisis Adverted.

Erza carefully wiped the crumbs from her mouth and attempted to put the girl into further ease. "Juvia, you should never doubt Gray. I am sure that he finds Lucy attractive, but Gray has a thing with bluenettes."

"That's right!" Cana said drunkenly. "Gray's last two girlfriends were bluenettes. Remember?"

Gray's face drained of color at her words. He was really hoping that this conversation wouldn't steer towards his past relationship with Levy. "Okay, Cana. STOP!" he mumbled through gritted teeth, hoping that she understood well enough to drop the topic.

"Yeah! That's a good point," exclaimed Happy. "Hana and Levy both have blue hair. So, Gray does have a thing for girls with blue hair."

"WHAT!" The relative newcomers of the guild turned to the blue-haired girl in question, now struggling under the grasp of a highly amused and very drunk Cana. "Cana! YOU are ridiculously strong when you're drunk," cursing Cana and her retard strength.

Cana with a sadistic smile turned to the gaping newcomers. "You know, Gray and Levy dated when they were around 15." With that, Levy sharply jabbed Cana in her side with her elbow.

Lucy's mouth dropped opened in complete shock. She thought that she knew all of Levy's secrets. "LEVY! When were you planning on telling me this?" she hollered.

"Oh, um, I would never tell you," Levy was fighting the blush that was creeping on her face. "Besides, it happened a long time ago. We dated when we were 15."

"LLLEEVVVYY," Lucy whined. "Who are you and what did you do with my best friend."

"It's nothing. We dated and then we broke up. End of story. Cut the cord, mom," Gray scowled.

"All this time, Levy-chan was Juvia's real LOVE RIVAL!" she wailed. "Juvia will cause harm to any women with blue hair. Where is Wendy-chan?" The aura around her darkened and the micro-burst became a torrential downpour.

Gray and Levy sprang into action and made their way to each of her sides and tried to console the crying mage. "Let's leave Wendy out of this. It's not like that," Gray soothed. "We were young." Levy stroked her arm in an effort to get her to calm down. "It's been over for a long time."

"Tch. Calm down, Rain woman," Gajeel snickered. "It's not like you didn't date before you met Gray.

"But, Gajeel-kun," she glared at the dragon slayer, "Juvia would hope that you share her pain. The love of your life has also been with one that you consider as a close friend and nakama."

"Yeah," Gajeel nodding his head in agreement. "Hey, the love of my li-." Juvia cut him off. "Gray-sama, how can you do this to Juvia?"

"For Chrissakes, Juvia." Gray threw up his hands in frustration. "We didn't date that long."

"But you two dated for two years," Natsu chimed in. "Luce, you should have seen how much of a wreck he was when Levy dumped him." His mischievous grin infectiously spreading to the other mages nearby.

"Didn't shower for weeks," smiled Erza.

"He left his clothes ON," Cana added, throwing her head back in laughter.

"NOT HELPING, FLAME BRAIN!"

Juvia ignored the group, getting back to the silk handkerchief. "So, who's is this and why was it in your underwear drawer? How many more woman before Juvia?" Her mouth agape and eyes red and puffy.

"Um, that would be mine. I haven't seen that thing since I spent that night at your house." The girls in the group let out a large gasp. "EEP!" Levy flushed a deep strawberry realizing that she revealed too much.

"OI!" Gajeel roared. "You lost it to popsicle dick, shrimp?! REALLY!"

"ER..UM," Levy stammered, having no good response.

"Look!" Gray barked, attempting to shut everyone up once and for all. "Brass tacks: We dated for two years. Things..well..happened. But, Juvia, I swear. We broke it off because it got too weird. It was like I was dating my sister."

Levy scrunched her nose as Cana and Natsu made gagging noises. The rest of the group cringed at his words. Erza smacked Gray right upside the head.

"EW, Gray, EWWW! Just NO! Don't ever say sister and romance in the same sentence," Cana admonished. "Just all the NOPE in the world."

The once frantic Juvia was eerily silent and pale. Right then, Gray decided that he preferred the ridiculous, emotional Juvia over a cold and silent one. She was more sinister that way, earning a shiver straight down his spine.

In a honeyed voice, Levy attempted to clear the air. "J-Juvia, it was more of uh…uh…what's the word?"

"A PROXIMITY INFATUATION!" Gray jumped up excitedly, proud of himself.

"YES!" Levy agreed. "A proximity infatuation! Good word, Gray!"

They high-fived.

"Proximity infatuation," Lucy snickered. "I am SO using that in my book."

"Well," he boasted, pride swelling in his chest. "You would be surprised at what you can pick up from Nakama."

"EW," Cana chided. "Gray, word choice. And for godsake, some pants! "

Gray blushed, realizing that not only were his pants were missing but that Cana had twisted his words into a sick innuendo about STDs. Before he can respond, he found himself in Juvia's waterlock forcibly being dragged out into the rain.

"Where are we going, Juvia!"

Juvia shot a deathly glare at a retreating Levy. "Juvia and Gray-sama will not stay in a place where another woman has defiled Gray-sama's bed and home. We need to find another apartment and we will destroy and replace our bed."

"OI, WAIT!" he stammered. "OUR BED?"

"AND I DIDN'T SAY ANYTHING ABOUT MOVING IN TOGETHER!"

* * *

'Well that was awkward.'

Levy turned to go back to her abandoned book. She grabbed the handkerchief only to notice that it had been shredded to pieces.

"What?!" Turning to glare at Gajeel, who had used the temporary distraction to rip the offending garment to shreds.

"Gajeel! Why did you cut up my headband?!"

"Relax, Shrimp!" Gajeel blushed, avoiding her gaze. "I'll get you a new one."

Levy pouted. "Aww…I really like that one."

"Fine! I'll buy you two!" he relented. "Just don't leave those things lying around my house. I don't want you losing 'em."

"Oh, okay then." A smirk forming on her lips. "I'll store them in your underwear drawer from now on."

"Yeah. Those things get expensive." His eyes widened in horror. "GAH! That's, That's not what I meant!"


End file.
